(Michoacán, México- My student and I in her classroom. Her village is known for their pottery, and is home to the "mariposa monarca" or monarch butterflies during their migration season.)
Dear Stratford Families,
I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to teach each of your children, have him/her in my class. My goal, they will discover an excitement, and novice mid proficiency in languages, an appreciation for and comparison of cultures other than our own, develop intercultural competency and skills useful for the world and life after a rewarding elementary education, and the hope and dream of a college education. Thank you for sharing your child with me, and I encourage you to check out our “FLESSpanishStratford.wikispaces” from time to time for language enrichment at home. I am thankful for the many exceptional teachers I had in my years of language study, and the skillful, effective, and motivating teachers I work with each day.
I am a native of Connecticut, born and raised. I have had an interest in languages since childhood, listening to my grandparents speak only in Italian. In undergraduate school I had a double major, earning a four year degree in Photojournalism and Spanish. I have always enjoyed reading and writing, as a form and means of communication in addition to the photographic arts and sciences. I continued with my studies immediately after graduation, remaining in Rochester, New York, and completed a two year program in Education and Spanish along with student teaching in New York at the secondary level, and returned home to begin teaching after earning my State of New York Teaching Certificate grades 7-12.
Shortly after, I returned to graduate school and earned a Master’s in Spanish at Middlebury College, Vermont campus and Middlebury's International Institute in Madrid, Spain. The year that followed, I completed post-graduate studies in Italian and earned a State of Connecticut Teacher Certificate in Italian. I began my career teaching Spanish and Italian at the secondary level for five years, and later Middle school for ten years in Weston, Connecticut. Six years ago I returned to college to complete one remaining class, after a fifteen year lapse, in Elementary Spanish grades K-8. In 2014 I began working on a 6th Year Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut's NEAG School of Education Administer Preparation Program, and I earned my degree in May of 2016.
In addition to teaching, I enjoy traveling. I have lived and attended college in Spain and Italy, and have visited Mexico and Costa Rica, as well as Germany, France, Switzerland, and Canada. I enjoy spending time with my family/friends, skiing, cycling and trail running. In the summertime I enjoy continuing to learn, and also relax, read, garden and cook.
Sincerely,
Karen E. Murano
Las "cosas favoritas" de maestra
Mascotas: No tengo (Me gustaría un perro alguna día)
Comida favorita: Pasta
Postre favorita: Helado
Pasatiempo favorito: ¡Muchos! El ciclismo / Montar en bicicleta / Visitar las montañas
Libro favorito: "Where the Wild Things Are"
Lugar favorito: Vermont (Estados Unidos) / Italia (Europa)
Cosa interesante: Viví y trabajé en un Parque Nacional en Montana
(Michoacán, México- My student and I in her classroom. Her village is known for their pottery, and is home to the "mariposa monarca" or monarch butterflies during their migration season.)
Dear Stratford Families,
I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to teach each of your children, have him/her in my class. My goal, they will discover an excitement, and novice mid proficiency in languages, an appreciation for and comparison of cultures other than our own, develop intercultural competency and skills useful for the world and life after a rewarding elementary education, and the hope and dream of a college education. Thank you for sharing your child with me, and I encourage you to check out our “FLESSpanishStratford.wikispaces” from time to time for language enrichment at home. I am thankful for the many exceptional teachers I had in my years of language study, and the skillful, effective, and motivating teachers I work with each day.
I am a native of Connecticut, born and raised. I have had an interest in languages since childhood, listening to my grandparents speak only in Italian. In undergraduate school I had a double major, earning a four year degree in Photojournalism and Spanish. I have always enjoyed reading and writing, as a form and means of communication in addition to the photographic arts and sciences. I continued with my studies immediately after graduation, remaining in Rochester, New York, and completed a two year program in Education and Spanish along with student teaching in New York at the secondary level, and returned home to begin teaching after earning my State of New York Teaching Certificate grades 7-12.
Shortly after, I returned to graduate school and earned a Master’s in Spanish at Middlebury College, Vermont campus and Middlebury's International Institute in Madrid, Spain. The year that followed, I completed post-graduate studies in Italian and earned a State of Connecticut Teacher Certificate in Italian. I began my career teaching Spanish and Italian at the secondary level for five years, and later Middle school for ten years in Weston, Connecticut. Six years ago I returned to college to complete one remaining class, after a fifteen year lapse, in Elementary Spanish grades K-8. In 2014 I began working on a 6th Year Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut's NEAG School of Education Administer Preparation Program, and I earned my degree in May of 2016.
In addition to teaching, I enjoy traveling. I have lived and attended college in Spain and Italy, and have visited Mexico and Costa Rica, as well as Germany, France, Switzerland, and Canada. I enjoy spending time with my family/friends, skiing, cycling and trail running. In the summertime I enjoy continuing to learn, and also relax, read, garden and cook.
Sincerely,
Karen E. Murano
Las "cosas favoritas" de maestra
Mascotas: No tengo (Me gustaría un perro alguna día)
Comida favorita: Pasta
Postre favorita: Helado
Pasatiempo favorito: ¡Muchos! El ciclismo / Montar en bicicleta / Visitar las montañas
Libro favorito: "Where the Wild Things Are"
Lugar favorito: Vermont (Estados Unidos) / Italia (Europa)
Cosa interesante: Viví y trabajé en un Parque Nacional en Montana